Help

Sorry if this is not the right place to post but I need advice/help Anyone done a 12 week flexible online short course (fully funded) and still received carer’s allowance. I think I messed up on my form as when it asked if I had started education after the date im claiming from I put no as I started it before and it doesn’t finish until October but I desperately need the carer’s allowance x

Hi Robyn,

Provided said course is UNDER 21 hours per week , not a problem.

ONE minute over and you can kiss goodbye to CA.
https://www.carersuk.org/forum/news-and-campaigns/campaigns-petitions/21-hour-rule-ca-eligibility-studying-developments-the-sole-thread-anywhere-dealing-with-this-abomination-29098

Strangely , starting a college / home study course is NOT on the list of changes which require a carer to report.

It’s all done at home. I don’t have to go any learning centre to it. Does that class at home study?

A good " Practical " question.

Home study … how can a third party determine how long a carer studies ?

( " Home study " appears in the conditions attached to CA for Irish carers … a mere 15 hours. )

Belt and braces ?

Written confirmation from the provider that said course does NOT involve more than 21 hours a week in studying … if definately
under , a definitive time … " Not more than 10-15 per hours " … in said letter ?

All angles then covered.

As I messed up and put that I haven’t started a course ( I started the course in July) since the (27 august 2019) date I was making the claim for carers shall I ring them up tomorrow to notify that I’ve been on a course for since before applying. I did the form online

No need … commencing studying is not reportable … see my first post.

ONLY IF that 21 hours per week is breached … that’s your sole concern.

In which case , CA will be history … for a while … and best reported to the CA Unit together with dates … otherwise , there
could be delays in restarting CA once that course ends.

So let me see if I get this. (Have dyspraxia and struggle with understand information like this) so because I started the course before I applied for carers I didn’t need to tell them about the course.
Sorry if I’m being annoying.

Correct.

Under 21 hours per week ?

NO problem.

If above 21 hours … see my previous postings as to the action to take.

CA Unit will require you to repay the CA from the day the course first started.

Thank you. I will ring the course provider person tomorrow and ask if it is classed as under 21 hours a week of studying. for a piece of mind.

Your welcome.

Not sure if anyone will know the answer to this but until I put a claim into universal credit I’m currently on jsa (income based) and In that case I wouldn’t be able to do this course I’m doing if it was full time?

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How many hours can I study and still claim JSA ?



Most full-time students in higher education can’t claim Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) during term-time or holidays. However, lone parents can claim JSA during the summer holidays, as can someone whose partner is also a full-time student if one or both of you is responsible for a child. However, you must be ‘available for and actively seeking work’.

Whether or not you’re classed as a full-time student depends on your age, the level of course you’re taking, where in the UK you live, and who funds the course.

If you’re aged between 16 and 20 and in ‘relevant education’ (generally this means you are studying for qualifications up to A-level), ‘full-time’ means 12 or more hours study a week.

If you have over 16 hours a week of teaching time and your course is funded by the Education Funding Agency, the Chief Executive for Skills Funding, the Welsh Assembly Government or Scottish minsters, then it will also be classed as full-time.

There is no set hours limit for other courses, so the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or Local Authority deciding your benefit claim will make their own decision. They will look at how the course is defined by the college, but you can challenge this if you disagree.

If you’re a part-time student you may be able to claim while you look for work, but you also need to be available for and actively seeking full-time work. In practice this would mean that if you got offered work that didn’t fit around your studying you would either need to postpone your studies or stop claiming JSA.

There’s nothing to stop you taking a part-time job while studying, in which case you don’t need to register with Jobcentre Plus.

If you need further advice, contact the Students Services at your college or university. You can also find out more by contacting Jobcentre Plus.